Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz

​The title is apt. Lots of seafood, all weird. None edible, really, because none should be. Seriously. I don’t know how anyone can look at any of the strange, magnificent creatures that live in the sea and go, hey, that looks tasty.
They don’t look tasty, do they? They look weird. Interesting, exciting, otherworldly. Kind of like an alien world without leaving Earth.
This book takes that concept and goes really far with it, impressively far.  The creatures that populate this novella are spectacular, sentient, stunning.
The main protagonists are a squid-like deep sea dweller scientist from a race of deep sea dweller and a seal-like whale rider who travels close to the surface and had the soul of a rebel and a power of a siren.
So, you now, your average, wildly untraditional odd couple, opposites attract and make for a great friendship sort of thing.
And then the two have to consider the terrestrial beings, who are a. very real, b. very destructive. Question is to put up or rise up?  And consider, what sort of an uprising would that be if the ocean rises up?
This novella firmly belongs and perfectly exemplifies the branch of science fiction that’s all about climate. As such, yes, the message of it can get quite heavy for the plot, but kudos to the author, it never really overpowers it. There’s simply too much going on.
The world building alone is spectacular. Like the best of David Attenborough Blue Planet show that inspired it. So vivid, so well thought out, so intricate.  Pure wow.
The titular weird fishes are as personable, charismatic and compelling as any non-finned protagonist and the emotional engagement here is good and proper.
I’ve tried to stay away from aquatic puns in this review (it’s tough, it really is), but suffice it to say these are the waters you want to swim in. A wildly original, clever, and exciting story. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.